PM should heed Prem’s wise words and listen to different opinions

I fully agree with Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda’s advice to PM Prayut, that those with differing viewpoints should be seen as friends, not foes. Prem undoubtedly learned from our beloved national father, the late King Rama IX, whose diligence in seeking information from diverse sources – farmers, civil servants in direct contact with the farmers and hilltribes, plus outside advisers – to solve problems is legendary.
The different political parties have different platforms, but they share many common features, for example in seeking to sustainably close our tremendous rich-poor income gap. Instead of giving out the Band-Aid of Bt500 bills, the junta should listen to the parties’ plans, and see how they could work together for the common long-term good. In this regard, the Democrat Party wants to extend free public education even further, for it rightly sees that education is the most effective way to narrow the income gap. However, Thai education now kills rather than promotes the creativity and thirst for learning that is essential for tomorrow’s workers. So the junta must reform the teachers’ mentality as well as extending free schooling.
PM Prayut, look at those with different opinions as opportunities to learn, not as foes. Heed Prem and follow our beloved national father’s footsteps.
Burin Kantabutra